Is the reason scorpions fill their burrows.....

[neveragain]

becuase they dont want other scorpions/animals to take over their burrows while they are out at night hunting?

Sorry if its a dumb question, its 4:30am, I cant sleep, and was pondering some things while watching my h.arizonensis cover its burrow and then attack a cricket.

 

[phoenixxavierre]

Could very well be to keep prey or predators from entering their burrow while they're doing their thing!

Interesting observation!

 

[neveragain]

When I posted this, I gave the desert hairy one cricket that was the size that I always give it, and the rest were a decent size bigger than normal (it was all I had left) Anyway, the scorpion only ate the normal sized one, and didnt touch the bigger ones. (any reason for this?) So yesterday, I wanted to see if the reason it wasnt digging its burrow back out was becuase of the crickets. So I took the crickets out, and today when I checked on it, the burrow was dug out again.

Anyway, I thought it was interesting, so I figure I'd share.

 

[phoenixxavierre]

That is interesting! I wonder if that was indeed why?

The scorpion probably wasn't hungry enough to go after the larger sized crickets. I imagine if it was hungry enough it probably would!

 

[neveragain]

I'm not sure. Becuase I just gave it smaller crickets, and I watched it eat the crickets inside its burrow with a flashlight. The bigger crickets would walk over it and everything, and the scorpion wouldnt even try to sting them or anything.

 

[phoenixxavierre]

Perhaps the smaller crickets have a softer exoskeleton than the adults? more palatable?